Launching the AILA ASEAN Network

On 3 December 2018, the AILA ASEAN Network was launched at the Malaysian Association of Applied Linguistics International Conference 2018, the theme of which was Applied Linguistics and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Language, Communication and the Professions.

AILA ASEAN is part of an AILA initiative that has seen a number of regional networks established over the years. The new network will facilitate people-to-people connectivity in the field of applied linguistics in South East Asia, thereby promoting one of ASEAN’s foremost goals. Given the common issues in Applied Linguistics in the region and more widely, AILA ASEAN will strengthen collaboration in regional and inter-regional activities, including the mobility of practitioners in the field. The network will be a platform for applied linguists to discuss regional and global issues on the basis of a transdisciplinary approach to shared problems. By collaborating with other AILA affiliates on a trans-national approach to cross-border challenges, the network will assist in promoting regional and inter-regional cooperation in pursuit of sustainable solutions.